A feeling of recognition and community
Unrelenting drums, distorted guitars and charming, queer punk-pop-power form the backbone of girlcrush. On their new single, the Copenhagen band addresses the alienation and loneliness of being a trans person in a rigid society.
girlcrush write songs about lives that don’t meet the heteronormative ideal. They portray their own feelings and experiences as non-monogamist, queer and transgender with a mutual vision to lend their voices to those who can’t be heard and create a feeling of recognition and community for queer and marginalized people.
This Spring, girlcrush are ready with the brand new single, ‘Dysphoria! At the Psych Ward’ – a song that criticizes the gender normativity inherent in the medical system. The feelings of alienation and loneliness of being a trans person in a rigid society are delivered with both anger and irony by guitarist Nat.
“Being in a mentally vulnerable place while being met by a lack of understanding of gender diversity by medical personnel is an incredibly difficult position to navigate in. A simple thing like asking for help can be hard to do. While trauma and mental illness can affect anyone, trans people are at a higher risk of developing depression, anxiety, eating disorders, PTSD and of committing suicide. We wanted to write a song addressing this theme,” Nat says.
The title is a reference to the emo band Panic! At the Disco – a nod to the music of Nat’s own troubled teenage years. ‘Dysphoria! At the Psych Ward’ is the sound of girlcrush and their distinct style of catchy melodies delivered with honesty and fragility, backed by unrelenting drums and good amounts of distortion.
‘Dysphoria! At the Psych Ward’ is one of twelve tracks on the album, ‘I don’t feel so good’, all of which show different colors of mental illness as experienced by the band members. girlcrush are drummer and vocalist Andrea (all pronouns), bass player and vocalist Marie (she/her) and guitarist and vocalist Nat (they/them and he/him).
https://www.facebook.com/girlcrushband
https://www.instagram.com/girlcrushmusic
